This invention relates to vacuum cleaner systems, and more particularly to a vacuum cleaner system having a two piece upright handle assembly which can be quickly assembled by a user without the need for any external tools.
Vacuum cleaner systems are used in a wide variety of cleaning applications. One common vacuum cleaner system is of the upright variety, which typically includes an elongated upright handle. The upright handle attaches at its lower end to a vacuum cleaning unit, often termed a xe2x80x9cpowerheadxe2x80x9d. One specific type of upright vacuum cleaner is generally known as a xe2x80x9cstick vacxe2x80x9d. A stick vac vacuum cleaner system includes a powerhead which contains essentially all of the major components of a vacuum cleaner such as a fan motor, a fan, a receptacle for containing dust and dirt filtered from an ingested air stream, and often a beater brush. With a stick vac, the upright handle often forms a simple, tube-like member for allowing the user to maneuver the electric powerhead. Alternatively, the typical stick vac handle may include some means for carrying one or more cleaning attachments such as a separate brush, wand or section of vacuum hose.
The stick vac handles typically are of a single piece construction making them relatively difficult to package for shipping purposes. It would therefore be highly desirable to provide an upright handle assembly for a stick vac type upright vacuum cleaner system which allows the upright handle assembly to be shipped in two component pieces, but which still allows a user to quickly assemble the two pieces together without the need for any external tools, and further without the need for complicated assembly procedures.
The present invention is directed to a two piece handle assembly for an upright vacuum cleaner. The handle assembly comprises a first or upper component and a second or lower component. In one preferred embodiment the upper component includes a recess at its lower end and the lower component includes a neck portion at its upper end. The neck portion is adapted to engage within the recess when the upper end of the lower component is urged into engagement with the lower end of the upper component.
In the preferred embodiments a pair of bores are formed in each of the lower end of the upper handle component and the upper end of the lower handle component. When the two handle components are urged together these bores align to form two securing bores into which threaded fasteners may be inserted. The present invention makes use of threaded fasteners having large, graspable portions which can be easily grasped with a user""s hand to apply sufficient torque to tighten the threaded fastener without the need for pliers or like tools. Once the threaded fasteners are installed in each of the securing bores, the assembled handle assembly forms a rigid, unitary structure. An added advantage is that the two threaded fasteners form guideposts around which a power cord can be looped when the vacuum cleaner is not in use.
It is a principal advantage of the present invention that the two handle components of the upright handle assembly can be quickly and easily secured to one another without the need for any external tools, and without the need for complicated and/or extensive mechanical assembly procedures. Thus, when removing the handle assembly of the present invention from its packaging container after purchasing, the user can quickly and easily assembly the upright handle assembly in a matter of minutes. In the event that the vacuum cleaner system needs to be put in storage for a prolonged period of time, the upright handle assembly can be easily disassembled in a matter of minutes to make for more compact storage.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.